Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Cobb, S. B. 1859 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com January 17, 2011, 1:27 pm Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 676 - 677 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company S. B. COBB. Lumber manufacturing in Oregon finds a worthy representative in S. B. Cobb, operator of a large sawmill with office at 55 East Water street in Portland. The width of the continent separates him from his birthplace, for he is a native of Maine, born in 1859. He is descended from one of New England's old and honored families, his great-great-great-grandfather having been a member of the famous Boston Tea Party, which was one of the initial activities of the Revolutionary war. In 1870 S. B. Cobb accompanied his parents on their removal to Illinois and was a youth of seventeen when he went to Kansas, where he remained until about 1878, when he went to Blackfoot, Idaho. S. B. Cobb was at that time nineteen years of age. Previously he had learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed at Fort Hall, Idaho, in the capacity of post carpenter and later went to the Wood river country in the midst of the Sawtooth mountains, there remaining until 1882, when he came to Portland. He had but a dollar and a half in his possession at the time he reached this city and necessity made it imperative that he immediately secure employment. He at once sought work, which he obtained, and after remaining in the employ of others for a short time he opened a carpenter shop at the corner of Fifth and Washington streets, where the Perkins Hotel now stands, becoming associated at that time with D. W. Crandall. Later, in company with S. E. Wren, he established a box business at the mill owned by Shearer & Coyne, located at the foot of Harrison street. In February, 1896, he became one of the organizers of the Standard Box & Lumber Company, which was incorporated with Isaac Gratton as president, C. C. Woodcock as vice president and S. B. Cobb as secretary and general manager. This company took over the business that had been established under the name of the Standard Box Factory. The business was first located on East Washington street, where the old factory had been established. It was destroyed by fire October 31, 1903. In the meantime the business had prospered and a sawmill was built at East Oak and Burnside streets, but fire destroyed that property in 1915. In 1913 the company had purchased two hundred million feet of timber at Scofield, on the branch of the Southern Pacific, and the same year erected a mill there, but in 1919 it was burned. The following year they rebuilt, the new structure being larger and better than the previous one, and since that time the company has suffered no loss through fire and its business has constantly expanded. While it has been continued under the original name, no boxes have been manufactured since 1915, the company devoting its entire attention to the manufacture of lumber. Theirs is today an important and growing enterprise and Mr. Cobb in his position as general manager has contributed in notable measure to the development of the undertaking. Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Cobb was married to Miss Florence E. Madden, of Portland who died in 1920. They became parents of six children but lost their eldest son, Earl, who died of influenza during the World war while in training camp at Louisville, Kentucky. The others are: Orville, a resident of Portland; Cecil, of Los Angeles, California; Everett, of Merlin, Oregon; Edna, the wife of R. Fleming; and Grace, the wife of James Hooge. Three of the four sons were in the World war. In 1883 Mr. Cobb became a member of Hassalo Lodge No. 15, I. O. O. F. and has therefore been identified with the order for forty-five years. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and The East Side Commercial Club. He takes an active interest in politics, feeling it to be the duty and obligation as well as the privilege of every citizen to express his opinions at the polls on the vital questions which come up for settlement. He votes with the republican party and in 1903 was one of its successful candidates in his district for the legislature. The excellent record which he made during his first term led to his reelection in 1915, and in that session he was chairman of the Ways and Means committee. He has always found time to faithfully perform his duties of citizenship while successfully conducting business interests that have been a contributing factor in the industrial development of the northwest as well as the source of his own fortunes. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/cobb1354gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 5.1 Kb